Texans hire HC Bill O'Brien: A Grade
As a Penn State alumnus, I'm sad to see Bill O'Brien go. That should give you an indication of where I'm going with this grade.

I'm usually against NFL teams hiring college head coaches, but O'Brien has plenty of experience in the pros. He worked under Bill Belichick from 2007 to 2011, and unlike Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel, he proved that he can be in charge with the work he did at Penn State. The Nittany Lions were expected to bottom out in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal, yet O'Brien led the program to a 15-9 record in two years. He also got the most out of Matt McGloin, who was just a pedestrian quarterback prior to O'Brien's arrival.

The Texans have made a great choice by hiring O'Brien. There's very little doubt that he'll right the ship in Houston and have the franchise competing for the playoffs again in no time.

I'll have more firing, hiring and retaining grades throughout the week. Follow me @walterfootball for updates.